How to Finance Your Film By Co-Producing with Europe
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Webinar hosted by: Anouk Van Ghemen
Financial Consultant
Anouk van Ghemen is a freelance financial consultant with an emphasis on film funding and tax incentive schemes in Germany and the rest of Europe. With her company ONE FOUR FILMS she works for both national as well as international clients, such as Sony Pictures Releasing, Radical Media and Wild Bunch Germany. Overall, Anouk has been involved in more than 40 film and media projects. Anouk holds a B.Sc. in „International Economics and Management“ from Bocconi University in Milan. She began her career in the film industry working as Assistant to Producer in Berlin and Paris and later became responsible for the funding and financing of a Berlin-based company‘s international films. Notable projects include the Indian-German co-production DON 2, the French-Canadian TV series TRANSPORTER, and the Korean thriller THE BERLIN FILE. In addition to her consulting services, Anouk recently began producing her own films with a number of projects currently in early stage development. She is a board member of Women in Film and Television in Germany. Full Bio »
Webinar Summary
With the gap between independent films and studio films constantly growing, it has become quite a challenge for independent producers to finance their films. As a result, more and more producers are looking outside of their home territories for additional sources of finance. Europe, in particular, is very attractive for international producers: not only does it have diverse landscapes and excellent crews, but the different European countries offer fantastic funding and tax incentive schemes that can be accessed by foreign producers to finance their films.
More and more filmmakers, producers, and even screenwriters are expanding their worldview by tailoring their projects and stories to make them more attractive for a potential European production and co-production. The fact of the matter is there is gold to be mined in this approach. Over the last few years, co-productions with European countries have not only become more common and successful, but the financial incentives have grown tremendously. Finding the right partners and understanding the landscape is not as difficult as one might thing. In fact, the information is readily available for those willing to put in a little legwork.
Anouk will take you into the world of European co-productions with great detail and flair. She will start by explaining European vs. international co-productions, bilateral vs. multilateral co-productions, co-production treaties and cultural tests. She will discuss the pros and cons of co-productions and how to identify whether your project fits with the upside potential for a European co-production. She will dive into the important aspects of your script and overall budgetary needs including story, locations, crew, overall costs and more. Then she will get into the most important questions: How do you get the money, how much money can you get, and what will make your application for funding and incentives get approved above all others. Anouk will also teach you how to find, approach and close the right partners to assure your European co-production is a winning one!
"A complete eye opener. I had no idea these options were available to me. It's like moving from a room where the walls are closing in to an open field. The possibilities are endless."
- Steven C.
"Invaluable information."
- Valerie L.
"I have 3 projects in various stages of development that have all but stalled. All 3 could certainly be rewritten or tweaked to fit a European co-production model. We'll be starting on doing just that tomorrow."
- Ricardo C.
"My job as a producer just got easier."
- Patricia M.
What You'll Learn
- What is a Co-Production and What are its Main Features?
- European vs. international co-productions
- Bilateral vs. multilateral co-productions
- Co-production treaties
- Cultural tests
- What are the Pros and Cons of Co-Productions
- How to identify the potential of your project for a co-production with Europe
- Story, locations, crew, costs, etc.
- What will my co-producer bring in
- Overview: European Film Funding and Tax Incentives
- What are the key countries and how do they work, using Germany as an example
- How much money can I get?
- How do I apply, what do I need to know?
- How to Identify the Country and the Right Partners and What is the Best Way to Approach Them?
- How to Find the “Best Deal”
- Co-Production vs. Service Production: the Pros and Cons (Including Examples)
- Q&A with Anouk
About Your Instructor
Anouk Van Ghemen
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Reviews Average Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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Sherwin Beaumont Very good information. Thank you Anouk -
Barak Shavit Anouk is awesome and had some really valuable information.
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